paradox_modfanmadebackupfandomcom-20200215-history
Allied Motor Pool
Though tanks are the most visible sign of military power, lesser fighting vehicles and support vehicles such as trucks are vital to successful military operations. Over their eighteen year history, the Allies have employed dozens of cars, trucks, half-tracks, hovercraft and stranger vehicles still. = Fighting Vehicles = GPMV-2 Ranger General Purpose Motor Vehicle Main Article: Ranger Scout Car GPMV-2SR Recon Ranger During the Second World War, hundreds of light vehicles were employed by the Allied Nations to strike into Soviet held territory. This proved highly successful; the Soviets suffered countless casualties and the loss of hundreds of vehicles to these raids, and the Soviets were forced to divert parts of their forces to guard against such attacks, sapping the front of manpower and vehicles. The tactic that they used was simple but effective; groups of soldiers riding on motor vehicles would slip behind enemy lines, usually taking advantage of the cover of night or simply blasting their way through. Once within enemy territory, they would then launch strikes on airfields, supply convoys and other targets of opportunity. Early on in the conflict, the soldiers would disembark from their vehicles to attack enemy bases on foot, but after several such attacks ended disastrously they increasingly turned to making use of their vehicles to conduct lightning fast hit-and-run attacks, with a typical mode of operation being to drive straight into an enemy airfield and strafe the parked aircraft as they drove past them. Initially, there was little standardisation with regards to equipment, with these strike groups making use of vehicles of varying make; however, as the war progressed, Rangers became increasingly common, something which would gain these forces the name of “Ranger Fleets”. Many of these vehicles were extensively modified, sporting various additions, such as wire-cutters fitted to the front bumper or extra armour plates; often, anything considered non-essential (such as windscreens) would be stripped off. Notably, such vehicles also tended to sport a large number of weapons, ranging from anti-tank rifles to machine guns taken from fighter aircraft; some vehicles might have as many as five machine guns, giving them an impressive combined rate of fire. The Allies would standardise the equipment of the Ranger fleets following the war, after they made the decision to convert them into a proper military force. The result of this was the GPMV-2SR Recon Ranger, which took several of the more successful vehicle configurations used during the war and melded them into one overgunned, supercharged, light battle car. This design would go on to see extensive service in World War III, carrying forces of Recon Peacekeepers on attacks behind Soviet lines, until its eventual replacement with the newer Recon Leopard late in the Third World War. M112 Retriever Armoured Personnel Carrier Main Article: Jackson APC Sd.Kfz. 500 Whippet Half-Track Main Article: Lee AA Half-Track M-93 Ogre Minelayer Main Article: Minelayer M101 Weasel Utility Tankette Main Article: Weasel Utility Tank PzGren. 100 Zobel Infantry Fighting Vehicle Since the end of WWII, many designs once regarded as cutting edge have since been relegated to obsolescence. With advances in technology and changing priorities in warfare, these designs have been phased out in favour of newer designs which were considered superior. One such example is the M112 Retriever APC. Though the heavily armoured transport capable of withstanding the worst the battlefield could throw at it, it was not without flaws, chief among them a slow top speed and a meagre armament. Additionally, though the Retriever was technically amphibious, it was barely so, slowing to a crawl when crossing bodies of water. These deficiencies would lead to the Retriever's eventual replacement by the Riptide in the Peacekeepers, and by the Zobel in the German Army. Compared to the Retriever, the Zobel sports a number of differences. Though it employs a highly similar track and suspension system, it removes some armour and uses a more powerful V12 engine to improve its speed to an impressive 75 km/h, as well as lowering the profile of the vehicle to make it harder to hit. Most significantly, the Zobel is much better armed than its predecessor; its primary armament consists of a 20mm autocannon mounted in a turret, allowing it to engage other transports and light vehicles, while a machine gun allows it to deal with infantry and defend itself from aircraft to a limited extent. Production of the Zobel began in the early days of the war, and it was rushed to the frontlines as soon as possible to defend against the oncoming Soviet army, replacing the older Retrievers and Whippets where it could. It filled the role of its predecessors, allowing the German army to quickly relocate infantry and slow down the Soviet advance. Though production was obviously stalled when the Soviet Union overran Germany, production has since resumed now that the war is over, and the German Army hopes to have over half of its mechanised divisions equipped with Zobels by early 1970. Multigunner Infantry Fighting Vehicle Mark I Main Article: Multigunner IFV Replacing the Beagle Light Tank, the Multigunner is an excellent example in how looks can be deceiving. At first glance, one might assume that the Multigunner is a light scout car or multipurpose vehicle, perhaps a recon buggy of some sort. This isn't too far off the mark, but the Multigunner is also an infantry fighting vehicle. Armoured enough to shake off small arms fire, the surprisingly heavy and durable vehicle could achieve the sorts of speeds its shape implies while also providing impressive covering fire from its variety of modular weapon emplacements. Capable of filling any role that Allied command required with fifteen minutes of field refits, Multigunner squadrons were a constant thorn in the side of advancing Soviet armies throughout World War III. However, issues began to come to light during the Allied push back into Europe, most damningly a poorly-designed driver plate that would deflect incoming fire into the crew compartment, and suspension that needed constant maintenance. The Mark I was phased out in early 1968, and nearly 60% of Allied Multigunners have now been converted to the improved United Armour Mark II design. Multigunner Infantry Fighting Vehicle Mark II Main Article: Multigunner IFV With a completely redone crew compartment, new suspension and support for powered turrets, the Multigunner Mark II is a vast improvement over the original, instantly winning approval from their crews. The most notable change is a third crewmember to assist in loading, freeing the gunner and driver to concentrate on their respective tasks. Though externally there are few changes, the new Multigunners are more than 60% new parts, ranging from simple material enhancements and increased tolerances on mechanical parts to the addition of stitched leather seating and a live feed backup camera. Starlight scopes have been directly incorporated into the vehicle's design, allowing it to continue to drive in the dark without its headlights giving away its position. FnACV-66 Riptide Armoured Combat Vehicle Main Article: Riptide ACV PV90 Pavlov Animal Handling Vehicle Main Article: Pavlov Handler Tank M67 Salamander Flamethrower Tank "Want a light?" :- A Salamander driver, displaying the smoking habit that Salamander crew members are notorious for A mishmash of various parts and pieces, the Salamander is one of the more unusual vehicles in the ARVN's arsenal. When the French withdrew from Indochina following the events of the French Indochina War. They left behind a large amount of equipment in their haste. While the Bulldog is the most prominent example of this, it is not the only one, as the French also left behind a large quantity of M112 Retriever APCs. Most of these APCs were still in useable condition. As it was, the ARVN decided to repurpose them for their own use, using the Retrievers to fill the role of APC in their ranks. The old Retrievers, while no less reliable, were hopelessly obsolete, outclassed by even the newer marks of the Retriever. It was this, among other factors, that would lead to the conversion of all surviving original Mark Retrievers to "Salamanders". The "Salamander" made its debut in the Second Battle of Hue. The majority of South Vietnamese forces had been forced back and the North Vietnamese occupied the city and had the forces at the Tay Loc Airfield pinned down by heavy artillery fire. General Ngo Quang Truong called in reinforcements. The 3rd Regiment, the 3rd Troop and the 1st ARVN Airborne Task Force were ordered to break through and relieve the pressure on his headquarters, but were stopped by NVA blocking forces and suffered significant casualties. For several days, ARVN forces tried to breach the NVA defensive lines and get into the city, without success. The 7th Armoured Cavalry Squadron had attempted to break through, only to be forced to retreat when their commanding lieutenant colonel was killed by enemy fire. At this point, the ARVN forces had suffered significant casualties, with hundreds of soldiers dead or captured. Their armour had suffered considerable losses at the hands of the NVA Rhinos, and they were still unable to break through the NVA lines. The NVA had fortified virtually every building in the city and were well entrenched in their positions. Captured survivors of the battle would later recall that they had seen "monstrous things, spewing fire and death wherever they went." The monsters they referred to where actually converted Retriever APCs. With so many damaged and out of commission, an officer had tried to juryrig what was left of his forces, and the modified Retrievers were the result. What the engineers had done was to strip the armour of Retrievers that were beyond salvage, mount them onto those Retrievers that could still be salvaged, then mount salvaged flamethrowers and whatever else they could find onto the APCs, which consisted of several dozer blades, a large number of fuel drums, and some old spraying nozzles. The resultant vehicles were unimaginably crude - but they worked. Some smart mouthed soldier - no one can remember - dubbed the improvised flamethrowers "Salamanders", and the name stuck. What happened next was that in the early morning hours of April 30, several silhouettes approached the city. The hastily improvised "Salamanders", piloted by ragtag crews, smashed their way through the outlying villages and suburbs, burning North Vietnamese forces out of houses and buildings. Their extra armour plating allowed them to shrug off all but serious anti tank weaponry; and even then some Salamanders kept on going. NVA soldiers found themselves literally face to face with the jaws of hell as the Salamanders purged, burned, and razed their way through the city, dousing every building, house and fortification they came across with powerful gouts of flame. Though the Salamanders could not take on NVA tanks, they quite simply wiped out every NVA infantry platoon that they came across. In the confusion, the rest of the ARVN forces struck. Though the ARVN forces were able to catch the NVA in a state of chaos, they were still heavily outnumbered. Fortunately, by this time the Peacekeepers just entered the theatre. Suddenly, Allied drones and bombers were making runs all over the country, decimating the NVA forces at every turn. In addition, several Allied Marine battalions had joined the fighting at Hue, and their presence only helped to further turn the tides against the NVA forces. After heavy fighting, the Allied and ARVN forces managed to secure the city. The cost was considerable; there were significant civilian casualties; though they were mainly due to executions conducted by the NVA during the one month that they controlled the city. Also, much of the city had been razed to the ground, and the ARVN forces had over 2,500 either wounded or killed. However, militarily, the battle was a success; the NVA forces had taken heavy losses, with over 5,000 killed at Hue and 3,000 more killed outside of the city. Following the success at Hue, the ARVN gave the modified Retrievers that had seen so much success at Hue the official designation of "M67 Salamander Flamethrower Tank". Their performance was impressive - the flamethrowers were highly effective, especially in urban combat, and targets sprayed with jellied gasoline were particularly susceptible to bursting into flames. Being on the crew of a Salamander was a particularly unpleasant job, as crew members had to work in claustrophobic conditions with considerable heat but little light. And despite all precautions, the crew compartment is often filled with copious volumes of smoke from the charred remains of Salamander victims. In addition, the constant risk of self immolation is high; working next to a giant fuel bomb just waiting for the slightest spark as an excuse to go off tends to have a rather destabilising effect on the psyche of Salamander crew members. = Self-Propelled Artillery = Sd.Kfz. 301.t Whippet "Fliegende Kuh"/ Steelrain Artillery Half-Track Main Article: Steelrain Artillery M100 Husky 203mm Self-Propelled Gun Main Article: M100 Artillery Track UKM-13 Eclipse 155mm Self Propelled Howitzer First entering production following the end of the Second World War in 1955, the UKM-13 Eclipse howitzer replaced the iconic M100 in the Peacekeepers, going on to serve as the primary artillery piece of the Peacekeepers and the German Army during the inter-war period. An artillery piece of German design, the Eclipse sported a 155mm autoloading howitzer. While of a smaller calibre compared to the 203mm howitzer of the M100, the 155mm autoloading howitzer was considered the superior weapon by Allied command. Even though each individual shell didn't pack the same punch as the 203mm, the Eclipse could maintain a far greater rate of fire, had a higher level accuracy, and boasted a considerably larger ammunition capacity. Furthermore, in other respects, the Eclipse was superior to the M100; compared to the plodding 16km/h an M100 could manage, the Eclipse could travel at a much faster speed of 30 km/h. In addition, the crew size was reduced compared to its predecessor. However, for its advantages, the Eclipse's considerable weaknesses were exposed when it finally got a chance to see combat at the start of the Third World War. By trying to compromise between mobility and firepower, the Eclipse proved to be lacking in both aspects, hopelessly outgunned by Soviet artillery, yet still not fast enough. Worse, the design was found to have stability problems. With a variety of issues that were only coming to light now that the howitzer was seeing actual combat, the Eclipse was proving to be a headache for Allied commanders. With the introduction of newer artillery pieces, the Eclipse was retired from Peacekeeper service as quickly as possible, with other armies also following suit. While it is still in use with some Allied militaries, in most it has been phased out in favour of other artillery pieces. AuM-103 Icarus Self-Propelled Anti-Air Artillery Main Article: Icarus Mobile AAA FM-042c Horizon Light Artillery Vehicle Main Article: Horizon Artillery Tank SATV-26S Athena Cannon Target Designator Vehicle Main Article: Athena Cannon FH-105 Valkyrie 155mm Self-Propelled Gun Main Article: Valkyrie Self-Propelled Gun =Trucks= L-1043 Transport Truck Main Article: Demo Truck Opel Blitz Truck Main Article: Transport Truck M52A6 Prospector Main Article: Allied Prospector M102 Truck Main Article: PAWI Truck = Mobile Construction Vehicles = Mk I Buffalo Mobile Construction Vehicle Main Article: Confederate MCV Mk III Mobile Construction Vehicle Main Article: Allied MCV Category:Lore